Barometer

Yonge Street spirit

The DownTown Yonge Business Improvement Area pitches street festival plans for the city's most notorious stretch for the last month of summer: restrict cars to a single lane in each direction between Gerrard and Richmond. We like it.

Water sports

City Hall and the school board negotiate a landmark agreement to fund all 33 of the board's city-funded pools for the next five years.

Jarvis bike lanes

A review by Transportation Services shows the collision rate between bikers and motorists on Jarvis has decreased 29 per cent since the installation of bike lanes. Read more about it here.

Union-isms

The Toronto Cyclists Union drops the "union" in its name (it's Cycle Toronto now) in a rebranding exercise that prompts founder Dave Meslin to ask somewhat cheekily, "When people go to Union Station, do they think of labour strikes and militant advocacy?"

Physicians for Global Survival

The Canadian NGO that's been campaigning to abolish nuclear weapons for 32 years is losing its charitable tax status.

Stupid polls

One predicts the provincial Libs will win the Kitchener-Waterloo by-election that's still six month away; another asks if Torontonians support casinos if "millions" of jobs are created.